Laws of Illusion | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 15 June 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2008–2010 | |||
Genre | Pop, pop rock | |||
Length | 49:14 | |||
Label | Nettwerk (Canada) Arista (US) | |||
Producer | Pierre Marchand | |||
Sarah McLachlan chronology | ||||
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Singles from Laws of Illusion | ||||
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Laws of Illusion is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. It was released on 11 June 2010 on Arista Records in the United States and 15 June 2010 on Nettwerk in Canada. Recording for the album took place in Montreal and Vancouver and production was handled by Pierre Marchand, with whom McLachlan has frequently collaborated in the past. [2]
According to McLachlan, her original idea for the album's title was Loss and Illusion. When she suggested it to Marchand, he misunderstood her as saying Laws of Illusion; she chose to use that as the final title instead. [3]
Customers who pre-ordered the album through sarahmclachlan.com were given "exclusive pre-access" to tickets to the 2010 Lilith Fair along with an instant download of McLachlan's song "One Dream", which she wrote for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. [2]
"Loving You Is Easy" was released on 23 April 2010. [4] [5] McLachlan's official website announced the track listing on 14 May 2010. [6] "Loving You Is Easy" debuted at number 28 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs on the week of 29 May 2010 and has risen to number 14 as of 17 July 2010. [7] The song also debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 on the week of 26 June 2010. [8] "Loving You Is Easy" debuted at number 86 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 on the week of 12 June 2010. [9] It has so far peaked at number 59.
Laws of Illusion debuted at number 2 on the Canadian album charts, selling 22,000 copies in its first week of release. [10] The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, selling 94,000 copies in its first week of release and selling an additional 38,000 copies in its second week. [11] [12] The album has been less successful in the UK, debuting at #76. [13] In Australia, the album debuted at #12, making it her highest charting album there. [14]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 63/100 [15] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Rolling Stone | |
SputnikMusic | |
Slant | |
Entertainment Weekly | [16] |
Los Angeles Times | [17] |
Boston Globe | [18] |
New York Times | [19] |
Laws of Illusion received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Allmusic noted that the album "furthers the fantasy by taking its cues from dated Clinton-era folk-pop. It’s an album that aims to soothe rather than startle, replete with wistful, lovelorn lyrics and McLachlan’s signature arrangements — a mix of new age atmospherics and singer/songwriter ambience — courtesy of longtime record producer Pierre Marchand." [20] Rolling Stone gave the album a negative review, stating that "Sarah McLachlan's first disc since splitting from her husband, Ashwin Sood, feels scattered: The carefree single 'Loving You Is Easy' feels out of place. The rest alternates between vulnerability and bitterness, using the same sighs and moans with which she used to convey ecstasy." [21] SputnikMusic gave the album 4 stars and praised McLachlan's musical return to the style she explored in her earlier albums, such as Surfacing , Touch and Solace . [22] Slant gave the album rather negative review noting that "Laws of Illusion sounds both effortless and effort-less." [23]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Awakenings" | Sarah McLachlan | 4:08 |
2. | "Illusions of Bliss" | McLachlan, Pierre Marchand | 3:53 |
3. | "Loving You Is Easy" | McLachlan | 3:03 |
4. | "Changes" | McLachlan, Marchand | 3:44 |
5. | "Forgiveness" | McLachlan, Marchand | 3:49 |
6. | "Rivers of Love" | McLachlan, Marchand | 3:54 |
7. | "Love Come" | McLachlan | 3:33 |
8. | "Out of Tune" | McLachlan, Marchand | 3:51 |
9. | "Heartbreak" | McLachlan, Marchand | 4:07 |
10. | "Don't Give Up on Us" | McLachlan, Marchand | 3:37 |
11. | "U Want Me 2" | McLachlan, Marchand | 4:07 |
12. | "Bring on the Wonder" | Susan Enan | 3:24 |
13. | "Love Come" (Hidden track; solo piano with strings) | McLachlan | 4:04 |
"·" Tracks that feature piano versions/video on Deluxe Edition
Credits for Laws of Illusion adapted from Allmusic. [24]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Date | Type | Label | Catalog # |
---|---|---|---|
15 June 2010 | CD (Barnes & Noble Exclusive) | Arista | 72629 |
CD | RCA | 55367 | |
CD/DVD (U.S. Deluxe Edition) | 71991 | ||
LP | 73963 | ||
LP | 8869755367 | ||
CD (Canadian Edition) | Nettwerk | 0670030895 | |
CD/DVD (Canadian Deluxe Edition) | 30903 | ||
21 June 2010 | CD (U.K.) | Arista | 88697553672 |
CD/DVD (U.K.) | 88697719912 |
Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards. In addition to her personal artistic efforts, she founded the Lilith Fair tour, which showcased female musicians.
Breathe is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Faith Hill, released November 9, 1999, via Warner Bros. Nashville. The album is one of the most successful country pop albums of all time and Hill's best selling album to date, being certified certified 8× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 22 October 1993 in Canada, 15 February 1994 in the United States, 24 May 1994 in Japan, and 14 August 1994 in Australia. It was produced by Pierre Marchand in Montreal; McLachlan wrote most of the album while living in a small house near Marchand's studio.
Surfacing is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. Released in 1997, it was produced by McLachlan's frequent collaborator, Pierre Marchand. It was released in July 1997, coinciding with the start of McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. The album reached the top position on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums chart, number two on the US Billboard 200 and became her first album to reach the top 50 outside of North America, achieving that in the UK, Australia and the Netherlands. It was certified as Diamond in sales in Canada and as 8× Platinum in sales in the US. Critical reviews were mixed; some of the more positive reviews praised the songwriting, while the album's detractors criticized it as banal and slow.
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[...] [McLachlan] was thinking of calling the album Loss and Illusion, touching on its two main themes. She suggested the title to her long-time songwriting collaborator and producer, Pierre Marchand, [...] He misunderstood her. Laws of Illusion, he asked? Sold.